Employment in the area is on a slow increase. But, at the same time, jobs are going unfilled. I am told this is because too many of our neighbors can’t pass a drug test. It makes me wonder. I wonder why people who can’t pass a drug test are listed as “unemployed”. Shouldn’t they be listed as “high”? In this time of drug testing, nobody is likely to hire them. Will “unemployed” become a euphemism for “addicted”?

It’s like when movie and rock stars are put in the hospital for “dehydration.” It means they were too drunk or too drugged for too long to perform.

The problems with not admitting that there are different circumstances are obvious. There are people who cannot find work and people who because of alcohol or other substance problems are a danger to have in the workplace.

If you don’t draw a distinction, you can’t look for ways to help those who want help. If you don’t draw a distinction, you don’t have a real picture of what state the economy is in.

If the problem is that we don’t want to admit the growing problem, maybe the idea should be floated to the state legislature that we could restructure the reporting in a socially sensitive way. I would like to suggest that the current categories of employed and unemployed be supplemented with “dehydrated”.

I just read an email that reminded me that life is unpredictable and so are the sorrows that it causes. Christmas time is here and yet, why is it that people do not look as if they remember what Christmas is all about? Instead you see the looks of disappointment, frustration and panic.

I had a small conversation at the store last night with a cashier, who paid all of her bills and now cannot afford to buy a single gift for her children. Ironically though, she can still give a genuine smile and say the words “its ok, we’re fine and we have far much more than others.” Isn’t that amazing! In life we want far more than what is already in front of us. And because of that we make ourselves unhappy. This Christmas remember those who are right in front of you. Hug them and tell them how much they mean to you and worry no more for the things that aren’t just right at this moment. If we spend a lifetime trying to make everything right, then what time do we really have left for ourselves or our family? Life is on a loan for all of us and I can’t help but believe that God would want us not to make it the best possible life within our own abilities and leave the rest up to him.

I know this year alone I have several things to be thankful for in my own life and even in the lives of others. You see happiness is not measured in a box with pretty wrappings or in a billfold with green paper. It is in your hearts and all those around you. You can buy another gift, you can earn another dollar but you can never earn another chance at someone’s life. Your smile and your hug can change someone’s heart just because you cared. People are in all colors: black, white, green, blue and who knows what other colors. But all our hearts beat the same, our blood runs red and sometimes fire-engine red at that! The point is, past the color of our skin is a beautiful heart of gold inside all of us. Some of us, we literally have to needle-nose the chains off and THEN, THERE IT IS “A HEART OF GOLD.”

Back to the cashier, she knows financially she cannot give more to her children than what she has already provided: a home full of mommys love, the electricity that she gives when she hugs her children and the warmth that fills her home right from her heart. Money doesn’t have to be it all. Yes, it helps but love goes so much further. A small ten year old girl last night started a chat with me at soccer practice and reminded me that wierdos are in the vicinity but she cannot live in fear. She knew the teenage boy that was murdered and set on fire some time ago, she sat and explained to me that life must go on and we learn from the past. Wow, a ten year old girl! She had seen hurt and knows hurt but yet she had so much kindness in her eyes as we spoke. Life itself feels like a lifetime war if we allow it. We have the power in our words to make things different. Speak a word of kindness to one another, better yet tell someone else about some act of kindness done to you by another caring person. And when all conversation fails, tell them about the awesome God that has made a difference in your life. My God just did!!!!

Thursday night (October 1st) is the Paint the town pink fight against breast cancer. It’s to raise awareness about the need to test, the ongoing research, the resources which are needed and to spotlight people who have survived the tough fight. Cancer victims, doctors, nurses, caregivers of all kinds are working together to encourage, shine a light on needed tasks and direct the fight. The sense of struggle, the tangible tragedy of the disease and the passion for a victory over it are almost overwhelming even to an observer.

Saturday night (October 3rd) the Post Time saloon is bringing to town the MMA. These are the Mixed Martial Arts Cage Fights. These are athletes from Carlsbad, Roswell and all over the region including from West Texas. These guys take this stuff seriously. And this is hard work. If you have never seen one of these MMA matches, it can be baffling how these athletes can even remain standing after three rounds of all-out exertion. Sometimes they just can’t. Sometimes they fight so hard they simply use up every last tiny scrap of energy and every bit of will to win they have left.

I know it’s apples and oranges, but the question I have about these two fights is: which one do you think is the hardest?

I enjoy “Sunday Driving”. Though I’ve been accused of doing it as a sport.

A friend was working at a car lot Saturday night… some big sale or something. So I stopped in to see him.

I know the guys there, so I thought it’d be a hoot to see if they’d let me drive something of theirs for the day. They obliged.

I had a time figuring out what to drive… thought “Which one’s me; A cool convertible or an S.U.V.” (Yes, watch too much television… this credit goes to freecreditreport.com).

After I put much thought into the vehicle choice, I picked The Blue One. A cute lil’ feller this one.

You familiar with the term, “Drive it like you stole it”? I am. Truthfully, I drove it like I’d eventually be accused of stealing it… so, speed limits applied.

Went and got something to eat.

Cruised The Drag.

Honked at some passers by… {because I couldn’t figure out how to manage the “Smart Key” feature. Apparently it is much smarter than me.}

Went home, took a nap.

Drove back to the car lot.

Bought the vehicle.

I, now, am the proud new owner of a great big debt!

But these things make me happy.

Much like my sales position.

Guess we’re not supposed to mention names here, so I will.

These guys at the lot were Elated to see the Elation on my little face as I tumbled out of the rig.

Who was happier? I don’t know. Pretty sure these guys are down with the One Born Every Minute theory.

What’s my case… What’s my Point?

It’s This: Just Do IT. Don’t wait to be “done”, before you do it. Just…

Cross your eyes, doc your tea, and then

And THEN. Make yourself go out and earn what you got. Yeah. This works for me… for the most part. You know the sayings: Greener grass; Owning up to your decisions; Live like there is no tomorrow; Haste makes waste; Time is not on your side; a Stitch in time…; The early bird; Count Chocula (threw that in there as it’s my fave cereal); No pain, no gain; The Golden Rule; Look both ways; Step on a crack…; He who laughs…; Keep your enemies…; Pray for your bretheren; Spiders are aweful; Too many Indians; the funky Cold Madina; Let your freak flag fly…. Alright! Get it?

Well, it happened again: NMSU Carlsbad held a community meeting and just about no one from the community showed up. OK, four people who aren’t NMSU Carlsbad employees came, but one was related to one of the presenters so I’m not sure he counts. As public relations coordinator, I could take the lack of attendance personally. But I won’t because I know I tried hard to spread the word about the meeting (radio PSAs, newspaper display advertising, Little Argus listings – oops, I forgot to offer food), and because I attended a public meeting in January – before I became an NMSU Carlsbad employee – and only a handful of community members came to that meeting. And there were abundant refreshments at that gathering.

The January meeting was to explain how a new emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math will bring new career opportunities to students and professionals trained in high-demand fields to the local workforce. The Sept. 1 meeting brought architects and an NMSU Las Cruces project manager to Carlsbad to provide detailed information about the new Allied Health and University Transfer Center that will be built at the college in 2010. The construction and equipping of this state-of-the-art building will be partially paid for with tax dollars – dollars residents voted to allocate to the project. Plus, the center will be the first building in Southeast New Mexico to earn special “green” certification.

Exciting stuff! The people will want to find out about it, right? Apparently not enough to get in cars or on bicycles or use their feet to come to meetings about this issues. “These people are lazy,” I thought. “They probably wouldn’t care if the college was vaporized by aliens.” Yep, I was disappointed and a bit angry at first. But after I quit biting my nails and grinding my teeth, I gave it more thought and came to a different conclusion.

I don’t think it’s because people don’t care about NMSU Carlsbad programs and initiatives. I think it’s because they are incredibly busy in the evenings with important stuff like being with their families, going to church and school, attending other important meetings and recharging at home so they can do a good job the next day – and because they trust the administrators at NMSU Carlsbad and NMSU Las Cruces to do the right thing, to make sure our programs are top-notch and our buildings are worthy of taxpayer funding. They trust that if they have a question, they can call the college and talk with someone who will give them straight answers.

That kind of trust is gratifying and weighty. As NMSU Carlsbad employees, we know we must constantly strive to deliver the best to the communities of Eddy County. The result is a big turnout. Maybe not at community meetings, but in classrooms on the Carlsbad campus and at the Artesia Vocational Training Center, and in homes where students are connected to NMSU Carlsbad Internet courses. The official numbers for the fall semester aren’t available yet, but it looks like enrollment at NMSU Carlsbad is up 10 to 12 percent from fall 2008. Fantastic! Because we want the public to be informed about all we do, we’ll continue to invite community members to meetings. I hope next time you can attend. But If I don’t see you, I won’t be too worried. I know NMSU Carlsbad has your support.

You’re on a dark, desert highway somewhere Northeast of El Paso. The smell of New Mexico mesquite is rising up from the air. You’re too young to know any Eagles’ lyrics, but you are old enough to know what you want to hear on the radio.

You want your University of New Mexico football, but for some reason you can’t find the strong and soothing 50,000-watt voice of the Lobos‘ mother station out of Albuquerque: KKOB-AM.

What to do? Do you panic? Do you, for a haunting, foolish second, think about trying to find a UTEP Miners’ game? No way! You stay calm and simply flip your radio to 1450 on the AM dial out of Las Cruces or maybe 105.1-FM out of Hobbs or even 740-AM out of Carlsbad.

That dark, desert highway never felt so warm and comfortable. Scott Galetti is now sitting shotgun booming out that much-needed play-by-play. Ex-Lobo Kole McKamey is giving you the inside scoop on the Mike Locksley offense. The pre-game show on KKOB was outstanding even though Scott Stiegler hogged the microphone – again.

Actually, much of the success for the expansion of the Lobo Radio Network comes from Keith Kowalski of Learfield Sports spending more than a couple of hours on the long and lonely highways of New Mexico.

“There were a couple of times down by Hobbs and Carlsbad where I was on the road for a couple of hours and didn’t see any other cars,” said Kowalski, who also handles radio networking for nine other universities including North Carolina, Oklahoma State, Tulsa and Louisiana Tech.

When Learfield Sports got the media marketing rights from UNM, Kowalski hit the state on a tour. “I went all over the state,” he said. “From Gallup to Farmington to Clovis down into the Hobbs and Carlsbad area.

“I would like to have the inter-states (I-40, I-25) covered so you can drive east, west, north or south and pick up the Lobos. What we are trying to do is build a network that blankets the state.”

That blanket pretty much touches all the areas of New Mexico, but Kowalski would like to add a station in Truth or Consequences and Taos. The addition of KOBE-AM (1450) out of Las Cruces was a major breakthrough for Learfield and UNM.

“Las Cruces is a huge victory for us because that’s the home of New Mexico State,” said Kowalski.

Cruces also is the home of a few Lobo football players: Freddy Young, Chris Hernandez, Nathan Enriquez and Dante Caro. The Lobosalso list players from Roswell, Artesia, Carlsbad and El Paso.

“I think it’s important to the Las Cruces area because we have some of their top athletes playing at UNM,” said Paul Krebs, UNM’s Vice President in charge of athletics.

“They also have great high school football, great athletes in general, and we want those athletes to come to the University of New Mexico. (KOBE) wouldn’t be doing this if they didn’t think it made business sense.

“The more affiliates the better, even if their signals overlaps. It’s not just a way for the athletic department to message effectively into those markets, but also a venue for the university to reach those communities. We want to convey to those communities that we look at them as a partner and that they are important to us.”

Carlsbad softball fans from last year might recognize Richard’s daughter Kelsey Stevens in the photo above. She pitched for La Cueva who won one and lost one against Carlsbad in the playoffs.

Smile seems like such a simple word. If more people practiced it the world could possibly be a better place.

How many times in recent months have you been out to eat or shopping and when you were greeted the employee had either a blank look or a frown on their face? Makes you feel really wanted doesn’t it? Now imagine the same scenario with the server actually giving you a smile and just being generally friendly.

Several years ago when I was a teenager and was just starting in the world of radio broadcasting I was introduced into the production room at KATK. I was handed a script and told to go ahead and lay down the voice for the ad. From my theater class in high school I had learned to enunciate. This is when you make your voice a little louder to carry a little further without yelling. Well that was good for a first timer but it just wasn’t quite right. It wasn’t bright enough. So I tried again. Still not right. So then I was told they wanted to see my method. Ah Ha! They figured out what the problem was. I was not smiling while I was reading the script. Smile for radio? Really, this is radio not TV. So I went ahead and took the advice. Wow, wouldn’t you know it made the difference. So now you have a little insight into what makes a radio personality sound so bright.

Scott Vera

Director of IT

TX,NM, & Mo.

US Cable of Coastal-Texas L.P

Scott also makes special appearances for Carlsbad Radio at events like remote broadcasts

Last season was pretty bad in the northern communities of NM for embarrassing outbursts by family members in the stands. Parents have gotten verbally out of line and even attempted to assault coaches, refs, other players. It could turn out to be a good thing for us in the more civilized area of Southeast New Mexico.

Let’s be honest, we have seen our share of bad behavior here. It is sometimes worse in summer leagues than it is in school athletics. It happens everywhere. It is also a great leveler of socio-economic status. Bad behavior is seen coming from upscale wealthy households and from much more modest homes. As far as I can tell it occurs at about the same rate everywhere in town.

I would like to make the call for a written code of behavior. Up to now it has been left to common decency to curb the worst impulses of emotional parents. What they are working towards up north is a written guide for what is not acceptable. Maybe writing it out and having parents sign on to it at the beginning of the season will make people think about it and be aware exactly what is acceptable and what is not. A few teams and leagues have a start on this, but I think we need it everywhere.

Sports are about rules. You can’t have a game without them. As New Mexicans and Americans, we are communities who work best when we respect the rules. In this case it’s about respecting our young athletes. It is the most important thing we can teach them.

There has been lots of titillating gossip here in Carlsbad about drug trafficking and ancillary bad behavior. I don’t know if any of it is true. I don’t want to know if a bunch of it is true. I don’t want to dwell on that aspect.
I have heard recently that young people only experiment with alcohol and drugs because “there is nothing to do in Carlsbad.” If you buy that argument, you have to explain why towns with many more distractions than Carlsbad have it just as bad or even far worse than we do.
I listened to a discussion this week about what Carlsbad could use in the way of outlets that could engage young people and keep them from being suckered into the killing trap of recreational drug use. I am unconvinced. We have the natatorium, the recreation center, the Boy’s and Girl’s club, softball, baseball, tennis, easy access to the river, fishing, skate boarding, hunting, biking, hiking, dance organizations, car clubs and lots more than I can list briefly. I am unconvinced that a few more things would dissuade anyone. Examine the “options” that the chief accused drug traffickers have had in their lives. Do you think they lacked other distractions?
I read some comments in recent weeks that the drug task force has been slow to respond to local recreational drug use. That doesn’t hold water either. Enforcement may very well have a deterrent effect, but by the time Law Enforcement is involved, the problem is already in full bloom.
Why do people of any age think it is okay to evade their lives? Why does anyone choose to deny personal responsibility for themselves? Why is it that pursuing a “high” can be more important than anything else? What responsibility do you and I have to value, cherish and celebrate sobriety?

Lots of parents cry out loud when they hear another inservice day is coming up. The trend here in Carlsbad schools and I guess everywhere has been to schedule more and more “in-service” hours.

I know that the schools are trying to train teachers and to help them achieve competencies that improve students’ outcomes and help teachers earn more. I don’t know if it is working. I don’t remember reading of anyone claiming that teacher performance improves after these sessions. I don’t see the ‘riting of young job applicants here improving. I don’t know if anyone has done the ‘rithmatic.

“In-service” means the school is “out of service.” It also means for plenty of working parents that they are “out of service.” It means that daily routines and local businesses with parents as employees and the local economy are affected. Are we sure the cost to the entire community is worth the benefits?

My question is: Do we have to stop teaching in the middle of school to train teachers? The loudest arguments from teachers arise from how it takes their “free” summertime to keep up with their training. If this is so, why are we doing more and more during the year?

Somebody teach me something here. Convince me this is the best method; or add up the costs and let’s do it differently.